Furniture assembly bracket



Jan. 31, 1961 F.'WILSON 2,970,025

FURNITUREASSEMBLYBRACKET Filed June 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

FOREST WILSON BY 'ATTORNEYS ivy Jan. 31, 1961 F.W|LSON FURNITURE ASSEMBLY BRACKET 2 sheets sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1958 INVENTOR. FOREST W/LSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent FURNITURE ASSEMBLY BRACIGET Forest Wilson, P.0. Box 6, Medinah, Ill.

Filed June 18, 1958, Ser. No. 742,856

9 Claims. (Cl. 311-114) The present invention relates to a new and improved furniture assembly bracket and more particularly to a method and device for attaching legs or other elements to furniture or the like.

In the furniture art, supporting means, such as legs, are often provided for items of furniture either because the function of a particular item, such as a table, necessitates its elevation above the floor of the room, or because of considerations of style or convenience. A leg may be an extension of another structure member of an item of furniture. Thus the corner posts of writing desks which interconnect the walls and support the desks are often extended below the main body of the desk to serve as legs. This practice has the disadvantage of making the legs part of the furniture piece during most of the production process, thus making the work piece unwiedly. Also the repair or replacement of damaged legs is difficult and expensive as it requires substantial rebuilding of the entire piece of furniture. Moreover, special precautions against damage must be taken in the packaging and transportation of furniture having permanently attached legs.

For these and other reasons it is often preferable to provide furniture with separate legs which are attached after the main structure of the piece of furniture has been built, and glue, nails, or screws are ordinarily used to secure the legs permanently to the furniture piece.

It is also possible to provide separate legs having no permanent connection with the main structure of the item of furniture but which may be removably secured thereto by mechanically unskilled persons. Thus a furniture item and its separate legs may be transported in a compact box or boxes to its final destination in order to improve handling convenience and reduce the likelihood of damage. In this arrangement damaged legs may be replaced by the ultimate user at small expense and without any difiiculty.

In order to secure the legs detachably to a piece of furniture, fastening means such as corner blocks or support plates must be provided in the main structure of the piece of furniture to engage the legs. The engagement may be accomplished by threading a screw extending from the top surface of the leg into a threaded aperture provided in such block or plate. It is customary to permanently position such corner blocks or support plates by means of glue, nails, or screws at suitable points on the piece of furniture. The connection between these blocks or plates and the main body of the piece of furniture must be very strong because it is likely to be subjected to extreme stresses when the furniture is moved or tilted. It is also necessary to position the corner block or supporting plate precisely at its correct level in order to insure that none of the legs will rnain structure of the furniture.

2,970,025 Patented Jan. 31,1961

It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved means for firmly securing a leg supporting member to a piece of furniture.

It is a further object of the present invention to simplify the attachment of the leg supporting member to the piece of furniture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a leg supporting member increasing the structural strength of the furniture.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a leg supporting member which pulls together the walls or rails in which it is lodged.

Another object of the present invention is to insure 'that the legs support the furniture item at the same level even if the leg supporting members are located at slightly different levels. r

A still further object of the present invention resides in providing leg supporting means wherein the leg may be disposed at other than a r'ightangle with respect to the means it supports. I

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a piece of furniture including a leg which is attached to the remainder of the structure by a mechanism embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof one element of the present invention;

line 3"3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3, assuming that Fig. 3 shows the complete structure;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of Fig. 4 showing two positions of the leg supporting member of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 of another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view also similar to Fig. 4 of still another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another modification of the, present invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 1010 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line 1111 of Fig. 9, assuming Fig. 9 shows the complete structure;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 illustrating a modification of the present invention; and

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of an element illustrating still another modification of the present invention.

Briefly, the above and further objects are realized in accordance with the present invention by providing furniture leg securing means comprising a plate disposed in a groove in the frame of the furniture piece, and a leg which is threadedly fastened to the plate and which cooperates with the plate to clamp a portion of the frame between the leg and the plate. Moreover, in accordance with certain aspects of this invention assembly of the securing means to the fname is facilitated and a particularly good connection between the securing means and the frame is provided by so forming the plate that relatively sharp portions thereof are pressed into the frame as the leg is threaded into the plate.

. 3 Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 3, 4 and S thereof, apair of rails 23a and 23b generally formed of wood, which comprise a portion of theframe of any suitable piece offurniture20, form a corner at which a leg or other support 21 is located. The rails 23a and 23b are illustrated, by way of example only, asforming a part of a table and specifically as supporting the tabletoplfi. In addition to providing the usual support for the furniturepiecelfl, the leg 21 includes means for securing it to the furniture piece 20. The leg securing means further'includes a plate 22, preferably comprising a metal stamping or thelike, which is supported in a set of grooves 24:; and 24b defined in the inner faces of the rails 23:; and 23b, and a hanger bolt 25 which is attached to the top ofthe leg 21 and .adjustably interconnects the leg 21 and the plate 22.

For. a table the rails 23a and 23b are disposed horizon tally and the grooves 24a and 24b extend in the longitudinal direction of the rails or also horizontally. In-

asmuch as the rails 23a and 23b converge/at a right .22-are down-turned so that as the bolt 25 is rotated relative to the plate 22 to force the upper end of the leg 21 against the bottom edges of the rails 23a and 23b, the

downturned edges 22a and 22b are pressed into the lower sides of the grooves 24a and 24b to fixedly secure the plate 22 thereto and thus prevent relative movement between the leg 21 and the frame. Moreover, since the plate 22 is thus fastened to the rails 23a and 23b, it constitutes a structural portion of the frame securing the rails together. r I

Considering the embodiment of the inventionshown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in greater detail, the hanger bolt 25 may be either permanently anchored in the leg 21 or may be secured into it, as shown in Fig. 4 by a wood screw portion 25a which is integral with the bolt 25. In order to provide a gripping surface for rotating the bolt 25 and intermediate portion 25!) between the 23ajand 23b, thus fixing the position of the leg relative to the piece of furniture regardless of the position of the plate 22; Further threading of the bolt 25 relative to the plate 22 will cause downward pressure upon the plate 22 to lock it into place by causing the downturned edges 22a and 22b tocut into the bottom of the grooves 24a and 24b. The leg 21 may be disengaged from the piece of furniture 20 by counter-rotation of the bolt 25 which releases the pressure upon plate 22 and permits its withdrawal from the grooves 24a and 24b. Although the rails or grooved members 23:: and 23b aregenerally formed of wood theymay also comprise metal such as aluminum or the like.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 the plate 22 is of trapezoidal .shape inorder to fit into the rectangular corner formed by the rails 23a and 23b as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and '3. For use in rectangular corners a trapezoidal plate is preferable to a triangular one because the use .of the: latter requires thc grooves 24a and 24b to be in .exactlythe same plane and converge at thesame point of the corner. Any inaccuracy in the alignment of the of the undeformed portion of the plate 22 adjacent to the biting edges 22a and 22b. The biting edges 22:: and 22b are not placed close to the inside faces of the rails 23a and 23b where their pressure upon the walls of the grooves could cause the portion of the rail defining the bottom surface of the groove to break 01f, but are positioned deep enough inside the body of the rails 23a and 23b so that the biting edges 22a and 22b can force their way into the sides of the grooves 24a and 24b and lock the plate 22 into place when the bolt 25 is tightened, without risk of damage to the supporting rails 23a'and 23b. The biting action of edges 22a and 22b prevents spurious removal or dislocation of the leg supporting plate 22 from its proper place in the grooves 24a and 24b as long as the pressure caused by the rotation of bolt 25 persists. Thus the plate 22 cannot be extracted from angularly disposed rails when the leg 21 is secured thereto.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings there is illustrated another embodiment of the present invention in which the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals as in the preceding embodiments. The rails 23a and 23b, the top 19, the leg 21, and the bolt 25 are illustrated as being identical with those parts in the preceding embodiment. However, the lock plate in Fig. 6, designated by the reference numeral 33 is somewhat different from the lock plate 22 previously described. It is still trapezoidal in shape and includes a tubular portion 33:: provided with internal threads to receive the bolt 25. Preferably, however, the plate 33 is a metal plate having some slight resilience so that as the bolt 25 is tightened the plate 33 will be bowed in the manner indicated in Fig. 6 of the-drawings wherein the upper edges of the portion thereof disposed in the grooves 24a and 24b engage the portions of the rail defining the top of the groove. In fact, with sufiicient pressure these edges are caused to bite into the groove defining wall thus firmly securing the-plate 33 to the rails 23a and 23b and to the leg 21.

-I have discovered that in many situations a relatively rigid fiat plate without the down-turned edges such as 22a and 22b may be employed and even without any apparent deflection thereof the friction between the plate and the walls defining the bottoms of the grooves 24a and 24b is suflicient to lock the entire assembly together as a unitary structure;

' In Fig. 7 of the drawings there is illustrated still another embodiment of the present invention in which the rails 34a and 34b are substantially identical with the rails 23a and 23b except that the longitudinally extending grooves defined therein, designated by the reference numerals 35a and 3512 are disposed at a downwardly directed angle as clearly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, contrasted with the grooves in the previously described arrangements.' In other words, the innermost portions of the grooves 35a and 35b are at a'lower'lev'el than the entrance portions to such grooves. The corresponding parts of Fig. 7 are designated with the same reference numerals as in the preceding embodiment and the leg supporting plate 22 is illustrated as being identical in every respect to the plate 22 of Figs; 1 and 2 of the drawings. However, the downwardly directed edge flanges 22a and 22b arenow disposed in grooves having the same downthis case the grooves should be sufiiciently wide to permit ready insertion of the leg supporting plate 22. It will be appreciated that upon tightening the bolt 25 to secure the leg 21 in position the plate 22 cooperating with the angularly disposed grooves 35a and 35b will cause the whole assemblage to be securely locked together.

With all of the arrangements described above, it will be appreciated that the article of furniture will be shipped with the supporting plates and the legs disassembled and such final assembly can be accomplished by the ultimate sales organization or after delivery to the purchaser.

While the supporting means of the present invention has been described specifically in connection with securing legs to furniture, it will be appreciated that it can be used in numerous other supporting means and it is intended in the appended claims to cover other applications of the present support aside from a leg support for furniture.

In the arrangements described above, the legs are secured generally at right angles to the top of the furniture. Many times it is desirable for the legs to be-disposed at a slight angle with respect to the vertical and in Figs. 8, 9, and 11 of the drawings there are disclosed features of the present invention whereby such support of the legs at a slight angle to the vertical may be obtained.

Referring now to Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the drawings, there is illustrated an article of furniture generally designated by the reference numeral 38 comprising rails 39 and 40 which are provided with the longitudinally extending grooves 41 and 42, respectively. These rails support the conventional top 43 which might be a table top or some other furniture top. In accordance with the present invention there are provided two leg supporting plates generally designated by the reference numerals 44 and 45 each plate being generally of trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal plates 44 and 45 are intended to be disposed in generally parallel relationship to each other with the plate 44 disposed in the grooves 41 and 42 and with the plate 45 engaging the bottom edges of the rails 39 and 40. The plate 44 is very similar to the plates 22 and 33 previously disclosed. As illustrated, plate 44 comprises a centrally disposed depression portion 44a which is disposed at slight angle relative to the major plane of the plate 44, this angle being the desired angle at which the leg to be associated with the furniture 38 is displaced from the vertical. Protruding upwardly from the angularly depressed portion 44a is a tubular portion 44b which is internally threaded to receive the bolt 25 associated with the leg 21 identical with that in the preceding embodiments. Except for the depression 44a the trapezoidal plate 44 is essentially a flat plate.

For the purpose of engaging the upper end of the leg 21 the plate 45 is provided with an upwardly recessed portion 45a of an area sufficiently large to provide a bearing surface of the upper end of the leg 21. This portion 45a is also disposed at a slight angle relative to the plane of plate 45 so that portions 44a and 45a are generally disposed in spaced parallel relationship when the pates 44 and 45 are 'in the leg supporting position of Fig. 8. An opening 47 of sufficient diameter to insure free insertion of the bolt 25 is provided centrally of the portion 45a. The edges 45b and 450 of the plate 45 are upwardly directed as viewed in Figs. 8 and 11 so that they may bite into the bottom edges of the rails 39 and 40 as clearly indicated in Fig. 11 of the drawings.

In assembling the leg 21 to the rest of the structure 38 the plate 44 is inserted in the grooves 41 and 42 adjacent one corner and the bolt 25 is inserted through the enlarged opening 47 in plate 45 with the edges 45b and 450 directed upwardly. Then the leg 21 and plates 45 are moved so plate 45 engages the bottom of the rails 39 and 40, while bolt 25 is threaded into the threaded aperture defined in tubular flange 44b. It will be apparent that the plates 44 and 45 will securely support the leg 21 at any desired angle determined by the angular positions of the portions 44a and 45a thereof, and the edges 45b and 450 of the plate 45 as best shown in Figs.- 8 and 11 of the drawings, will firmly engage the rails to securely look all of the parts together as a unitary structure. Moreover, plates 44 and 45 can be manufactured by simple stamping operations.

Instead of the edges 45b and 450 biting into the bottom edge of the rails 39 and 40 as shown in Figs. 8 and 10 of the drawings, the plate 45 may be provided with upturned flanges engaging the outside edge of the rail as clearly shown inFig. 12 of the drawings. In Fig. 12'all parts are identical with Fig. 11 except that a plate 49 replaces the plate 45. This plate'49 is identical with the plate 45 except that, instead of the biting edges of the previous embodiment, upturned flanges 49b are provided at the edges of the web of the plate 49. The plate 49 in CiLtdES an upwardly recessed portion 49a and an enlarged opening 50 identical with the preceding embodiments.

Although plates 44 and 45 are described as two separate members, they might-comprise a single member such as the member 51 shown in Fig. 13 of the drawings. This member 51 is a U-shaped member comprising trapezoidal portions 51a and 51b joined by a bight 510. The

portion 51a may be identical with the plate 44, while the portion 5112 may be identical with the plate 49. As illustrated in Fig. 13, however, the portion 51a is provided with integral flanges 52 and 53 disposed at an angle relative to the rest of portion 51a so that the leg 21 is displaced from the vertical. Similarly portion51b is provided with angularly displaced flanges 54 and 55 which include upturned flanges 54a and 55a respectively for engaging the outside of the rails just like the flanges 49b and 49s. With this arrangement, the depressed or recessed portions such as 44a and 45a may be eliminated.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to furniture where the rails are made of wood, plastic or even metal, such as aluminum, and the illustrated embodiments are by way of example only.

In view of the detailed description of the various embodiments, the features of the present invention will be readily understood. There has been provided a very simple arrangement for securing in a foolproof manner legs or other supports to furniture. Furthermore, such legs may be disposed in a vertical position or at some angle to the vertical. Additionally such furniture may be shipped in a so-called knocked-down condition, thereby greatly simplifying shipping since the ultimate assembly can be accomplished by unskilled people with no problem whatever.

While there have been illustrated and described several embodiments of the present invention it will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications may be made therein and it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for securing a furniture leg to an article of furniture defining a plurality of recesses, comprising a member having respective side edges thereof detacha'bly mounted in said recesses, first means including a leg disposed adjacent said article with a portion of said article interposed between said member and said first means, and second means including a threaded element interconnecting said member and said first means for moving said member and said first means toward each other to compress said portion at said article.

2. The apparatus set forth in-claim 1 in which said edges of said member include portions inclined downwardly toward said first means to be pressed into said portion of said article.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 in which said member is somewhat flexible and is bowed when said first means and said member are moved toward each other so that the edges of said member frictionally en- I gage opposite walls of said recesses.

' 4 In combination, an article of furniture including a pairof converging frame members, said members being provided with'grooves in the opposing faces thereof, a plate-defining a.-threaded aperture and having respective side edges thereof disposed in said grooves, a leg having the upper surface thereof ,positioned adjacent a portion of thelower edgcsof both of said frame members, and a bolt secured to the top of said leg and threadedly received in said threaded aperture whereby relative rotation between said bolt and-said plate compresses a portion of said trarne members between said piate and said leg to-attachsaid leg to said article of furniture.

'5; The combination set forth in claim 4 in which said edges of said plate form flanges extending angularly below the plane of said plate, and in which said opposed grooves in said frame members are formed at angles similar to those of said flanges.

6. An apparatus for securing a furniture leg to an article of furniture having a plurality of recesses, comprising a first plate having-respective sides thereof dis posed in said recesses, a second plate located below said first plate with a portion of said article interposed between said first and second plates, said second plate including an angularly offset portion defining an aperture, a leg having an upper surface in engagement with said angularly ofiset portion, and a threaded element connected to said leg and passing through said aperture, said element threadedly engaging said first plate so that relative rotation between said threaded element and said first plate. compresses said portion of said article between said first and second plates. a i

7. The apparatus set forth in, claim 6 wherein said second plate includes upwardly extending portions which are pressedintoj said article.

8. The apparatusrset forth in claim 6 wherein said article includes a pair of converging frame elements, and in which said second plate includes a flanged web portion in which said frame elements are disposed.

9. Apparatus accordingto'claim 6 in which said first and second plates are integral.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,828,174 Shapiro Mar. 25,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No 2970,025 1 January 31, 1961 Forest Wilson It is hereby certified'that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 30, for "unwiedly" read unwieldy column 5 line 69, for "plates" read plate column 6 line 66, for "at" read of Signed and sealed this 18th day of July 1961,,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

